Nightmares of Titan Tower Part One
by Bilious
Summary: When the Titans are disturbed nightly by horrible visions of loss and betrayal they have trouble holding on to their sanity. What is behind these visions, and how can they protect the city when they dare not to even sleep? [Complete] look for the sequel!
1. Troubled Slumber

[Disclaimer I don't own the Teen Titans... though I did make up the hunter for the last story...]  
  
Author's note: for my fans (er.. people who seemed to like my first fic anyway, all two of you :) ) I'm sorry but I'm not going to add more to Mechanical Mayhem but I might make one where The Hunter returns later, however, this one has nothing to do with The Hunter or Terra)  
  
"DO NOT MOVE!"  
  
Starefire hovered before Robin above the Wayne building; one arm raised, ready to fire a starbolt at her former leader.  
  
"Robin," she said quietly, "you are my best friend and I cannot live in a world where we must fight." She lowered her arm and looked at the rooftop below, where the other Titans lie beaten. "If you are truly evil, then do as you must."  
  
Robin smiled and took aim with his new blaster. "Works for me." He fired.  
  
-  
  
"All right ducky, just stare into the pretty swirls." Beast Boy struggled against his restraints and tried to look away, but the hypnotic swirls encompassed the entire room. Through the PA system, Mad Mod's voice began to fade. "Too bad I could only find you all by your onezys. That shouldn't be a problem though... you will help me get the rest..."  
  
-  
  
"Cyborg... help!" Starfire crawled towards the half metal hero. He was down too, just like the other Titans, but at least he was in one piece. "Please Cyborg, get up! Help, Cyborg, please!" The wounded Tamaranian reached for Cyborg's hand but she couldn't get to it.  
  
Cyborg couldn't help... he couldn't save the others... his power cell was out, the last power cell... Cyborg watched Starfire die, and he was powerless to stop it.  
  
-  
  
A green rabbit raced through the corridors of Titan's Tower. Something was after it, it loomed behind every turn. The small creature was forced into a dead end, where it slammed into a wall before turning back into its normal human form. The dark shadow crept up to it and moved into the light. It was fifteen feet tall, covered in a dark blue robe, and had four glowing red eyes.  
  
"Raven! No!" the changeling pleaded helplessly.  
  
"Beast Boy," she rumbled. "I've never liked you, I've always hated you and your stupid jokes, but don't feel too bad. You'll finally get me to laugh..." her dark power spread across the room, "this will be a hoot."

-  
  
"Friends! How is 'the it' going?" beamed Starfire as she entered the main room of Titan's Tower. Raven, Beast Boy and Cyborg where sitting around doing nothing. No one looked up to greet her. They all looked miserable. "Is something wrong?" asked Starfire. Raven gave Starfire an 'if looks could kill' stare before storming out of the room, the trash that normally collected around the room swirling and crashing behind her. Cyborg remained silent, staring into space. Beast Boy began to weep. Starfire moved over to her green friend and attempted to comfort him, though she still didn't know what would cause such grief. "What is the matter, Beast Boy?"  
  
"What's the matter!?" Beast Boy shouted, now more angry then sad. "What's the matter? Starfire, Robin's dead, and it's all your fault!"  
  
-  
  
"Aiee, my brain!"  
  
"Beast Boy!"  
  
"No!"  
  
"Robin!"  
  
"Starfire!"  
  
The Titans awoke from their nightmarish visions and collectively looked at their respective clocks. '6:23' time to get up anyway.  
  
Outside the only bathroom in the tower Beast Boy stood uneasily next to Raven. He couldn't stop thinking about the word 'ducky' and the swirling black and white patterns he had seen in his dream, and the fact that he really had to go. Raven seemed calmer, but she was already meditating, while waiting to use the bathroom... that was a little odd, even for her.  
  
"Azarath... Metrion... Zinthos... Azarath... Metrion... Zinthos..." the words were all too... hypnotic for the green changeling.  
  
"Hey, Raven? Isn't a little early for you to be doing that?" Raven, sitting on the floor, opened one eye to look at Beast Boy. "I didn't sleep well last night, besides it helps me wait."  
  
The bathroom door slid open and steam from the shower spilled out. Robin exited wearing a towel around his waist. Despite his shower he looked beat. "Um... all yours." He said a little surprised to see Raven on the floor. Raven got up and entered the bathroom.  
  
"Wait Rae," pleaded Beast Boy standing on one foot, "you sure you couldn't meditate for a few minuets longer?" The bathroom door slid shut.  
  
Raven's voice echoed through the door. "Why don't you just change into something with a larger bladder?"  
  
The green boy considered it.  
  
-  
  
Later on at breakfast everyone looked tired. They stared at each other over cold cereal and tea.  
  
"You did not sleep well too?" Starfire's hair was frizzy and she leaned to one side. "That's strange," put in Robin, "Starfire and I couldn't sleep either. We both had nightmares." Starfire and Robin had already talked about their nights, though they did not mention the subject of their dreams.  
  
"No way." said Beast Boy, "I had one too!"  
  
Cyborg and Raven confessed to having bad dreams as well. "Apparently," added Raven "Beast Boy told me one too many jokes."  
  
Beast Boy cringed, most likely at Raven's statement but possibly because of the alarm that started to blare all throughout the tower.  
  
Robin pulled out his communicator. "Titans, Trouble!"  
  
-  
  
The mountains to the east still obscured the morning sun, but things were already starting to heat up in Jump City.  
  
"Ah HAHAHAHAHA!" Though his heavily insulated power suit, Infernus's muffled laughter was barely audible in the hailstorm of destruction that surrounded him. The heat from his flamethrowers was so intense the street glowed red and several street lights were melting.  
  
Infernus turned to a retail shop that was, as of yet, unmarked. "All will suffer my fate!" Flame surged from his suit and soon melted through the display window before ruining the store's antiques and curiosities.  
  
An explosion rocked Infernus forward. He turned to see who attacked him, his helmet's reflective glass cover facing the Titans. They stood above him on a nearby rooftop of a three story building.  
  
"Hasn't anyone ever told you," called Robin, his teammates flanking him ready to move, "play with fire and you're gonna get burned."  
  
"How dare you mock me?" Infernus's flamethrowers belched flame at the rooftop, "No one makes fun of Infernus!"  
  
"Titans, GO!"  
  
The Titans surrounded the dangerous pyromaniac, sticking to the top of buildings, the ground below to hot to tread on. Those that could fly swooped in to attack, dodging unending tongues of flame.  
  
Beast Boy dived down and his talons struck uselessly against the armored villain and Cyborg's sonic cannon did nothing to snuff him out. Starfire pummeled the armored villain with starbolts. They seemed to be working, Infernus focused on her entirely. One of the jets of fire struck her on the side and she crashed into an ally, crying in shock.  
  
"Such a pretty face," Infernus said, his voice soft, almost comforting. He approached the entrance to the ally where Starfire lay dazed. "Too bad it's going to get burned!"  
  
Raven landed before Starfire and created a shield dome of dark energy around the two just in time to block the torrent of flame. "Starfire, get up!" commanded Raven, but Starfire was still in shock. "Come on, let's go!" Raven's energy cracked from the impact of the flame.  
  
Infernus was jostled as Robin threw more explosive discs. "Get away from her!"  
  
Infernus turned to blast at Robin long enough for Raven to pick up the wounded Starfire and fly her to a rooftop. On that roof there was a water tower. Robin spotted it too.  
  
"Raven, do it!"  
  
The telepath levitated again, under her dark hood her eyes blaze white and her hands glowed black.  
  
The water tower shimmered with Raven's dark energy. "Azarath..." the tower broke from its supports "Metrion..." hovered past Raven "Zinthos!" and was flung at the armored match striker. Meanwhile Robin threw three special discs. The water tower smashed onto Infernus. Water gushed everywhere, covering his armor and putting out his flamethrowers. Then the discs hit, freezing the water, and putting an end to Infernus's morning of destruction.  
  
The sun peaked over the mountains, casting long shadows. Starfire's eyes opened. She saw the frozen villain fall forward, his faceplate smashing as it hit the ground, and Infernus's mottled, melted face. Old scars from serious burns.  
  
Later that day Starfire calmed down and decided to take a nap. It would do nothing to ease her mind.  
  
-  
  
"Such a pretty face." Infernus said as he entered the ally. This time he had hit Starfire in the face, and she covered it with her hands, weeping in pain "too bad it's going to get burned." Raven did not stop the flames, and they engulfed Star.  
  
"Bastard!" Robin cried as he leapt to the ground and smashed at Infernus's faceplate with his fists.  
  
Soon the plate shattered again and Infernus toppled backwards to the ground, but this time the scared face behind it was not that of a troubled man, but that of Starfire's.


	2. Something Serious

"EEEEP!"  
  
Starfire, who's head was already over the edge while she slept, slid off her bed and fell on her back. "Uhhg" she groaned. It was dark out, and she remembered some sort of dream, but she felt like she hadn't slept at all. Star hovered down the corridor; maybe one of the other Titans was awake.  
  
The only one she found was Beast Boy. He rested on the couch, remote in hand and drool hanging from his mouth. Static from the massive television cast an eerie light across the room that played on the walls and danced on Beast Boy's face. The sharp sound accompanying the static did nothing to help the mood.  
  
With a slight twinge of Déjà vu Starfire moved to where Beast Boy lay.  
  
He was cuddled up on the sofa, almost in a fetal position. He whimpered in his sleep and his leg twitched. Star decided not to wake him, instead turning off the television. She would to head down to the training room. Robin sometimes stayed up late there.  
  
"Robin?" she floated in into the weight room "Robin, are you here?" Her friend was somewhere else. Starfire replaced some weights on the rack when she heard it.  
  
"Starfire..." it sounded like Beast Boy down the hall, but Beast Boy wasn't even on this floor! Starfire headed for his voice. It seemed to be coming out of the basement. "I never liked you..." Raven must be down there, too. "Works for me."  
  
Starfire entered the basement. The normally dark room was aglow with red light. Something shimmered in there with the abandoned equipment and boxes of Christmas decorations, and Starfire was drawn to it like a moth to an open flame. "Such a pretty face." Infurnus's voice mused. A tentacle of red energy shot from the thing and wrapped around her. Starfire squealed in horror. "Too bad I could only find you all by your onezys." The strange limb pulled her closer "That shouldn't be a problem though... you will help me find the rest..."  
  
-  
  
"This is too weird." Beast Boy looked at Cyborg. "What are you talking about?" "Are you kidding? One night I'm being taught a lesson by Mad Mod and the next I'm starring in Iron Chef as the special ingredient," Beast Boy looked down at what Robin and Cyborg couldn't look away from, "and now this."  
  
It had taken hours to find her. After searching the rest of the tower Robin finally had the idea to check her closet, though it was more an act of desperation then good detective work. Starfire lay on her side cupping her hands over her face, sobbing quietly. The other titans couldn't rouse her.  
  
Beast Boy went on appealing to Robin for direction. "Something's going on around here, something serious."  
  
"There's no need to jump to conclusions." Raven said, standing in the doorway of Starfire's room. "Your little nightmares and Starfire's condition aren't necessarily linked."  
  
Beast Boy faced Raven. "Don't tell me you didn't have another one too, I saw you mediating again this morning and you don't exactly look well rested, either."  
  
Raven started to say something but stopped. She hadn't told anyone about her second dream, but it must have been obvious she had another one the night before. Her eyes slightly sagged and her hair was unkempt. She finally thought of something to say, "We don't know everything about Tamaranians, who knows what-"  
  
Robin, who had remained silent since they found Starfire, stood up and shouted at Raven, "What the hell does it look like to you," he pointed at their fallen friend "like she's hibernating for winter!?"  
  
Raven looked stunned. Soon she raised her hood and turned from Robin. The usually calm leader of the Titans stopped. His voiced softened as he realized he might have just hurt Raven... she was only trying to help. "Raven... I'm sorry... I..."  
  
Alarms rang throughout the tower, the red emergency lights flashed.  
  
"It will have to wait." Raven said, still facing the wall.  
  
Starfire seemed to notice the change but she still did not sit up, she only sobbed harder.  
  
"We can't leave her here alone." said Cyborg, one massive hand on Starfire's shoulder.  
  
"You're right," said Robin, the sound of stability and authority back in his voice, "Cyborg, take the others and deal with the problem. I'll stay here and watch over Starfire, maybe figure a way to snap her out of it."  
  
The half metal titan got to his feet. "You heard the man," he said to Beast Boy and Raven, "let's move!"  
  
-  
  
The T-Car screeched to a halt just outside a rather large toy store, children and their parents fleeing in every direction.  
  
The three titans got out of the car in time to see the cause of the citizens' fears exit the store. It was a stout thirty year old kid, dressed in a klingon warrior's uniform and wielding a remote. "Not this guy again..." Beast Boy sighed.  
  
Raven moved her hood lower over her face, trying to hold in her look of concern.  
  
"What's the matter, Titans?" asked Control Freak while looking smug "You running out of friends?"  
  
"They're busy," replied Cyborg, the villain was obviously referring to Robin and Starfire. "At least we got friends!" added Beast Boy, "unlike some people."  
  
"Don't be so sure, Teen Tikes," Control Freak aimed his remote behind him and pressed the main button. Something stirred inside the toy store, a whole lot of something. "I've got all the friends I need right here!" 


	3. Fun Land

Review replies:

Jerrylover121: I'm sorry the first chap didn't live up to my discription, I sort of jumped the gun and discribed what I would add later. I hope you like it with the new chaps up and what is to come!

Carrot: Thanks! I don't know if I will add romance... it really isn't my thing, though I may hint at it every once in a while.

DarkXeno: eh, the dreams are half the fun! No, I don't recall watching Rod Serling's Night Gallery.

To everyone else: thanks a lot! I'm loving the reviews, they make me want to update more oft! hehe.

-

"A toy store," Raven stated in her uncaring yet cynical manner, "you broke out of jail and made a new remote to rob a toy store." She was still troubled by her last encounter with Control Freak, but really, what sort of threat could come out of such a place?  
  
Control Freak was undaunted by the hooded girl's remarks, he had a very good reason for being there. "They've got the all new, completely collectable and exceedingly valuable Warp Trek action figures here," his eyes lit up as he thought about them, "and they're all going to be mine!" The heavy villain retreated through a pair of automatic doors and into the darkness of the store's interior. "But enough about that, you haven't met my new friends, and believe me they can't wait to meet you!"  
  
"Ugh..." Beast Boy turned into a pigeon, "let's just get him." He took flight and swooped to the open doors. Control Freak, never one to let his finger off the button, quickly aimed his remote and took control of the doors. They slammed shut before Beast Boy could get through. He collided with them; very much like a bird that was unaware glass windows are not open air.  
  
He fell to the ground, his feathers ruffled, before turning back into human form and opening his eyes. He could see inside the darkened store.  
  
"EEK!" Beast Boy did a quick about face and dashed to the T-Car, stumbling and screaming all the way. "Run away! Run away! That thing's too big!" He leapt over the automobile and hid behind it.  
  
"Beast Boy, what did you see in there?" asked Cyborg. He still couldn't make out what it was.  
  
"It was... it was-"  
  
Thud!  
  
Something pressed against the doors and display windows of the large shop. The windows and roof bulged from the pressure.  
  
It slammed into the front of the store again, this time smashing the windows and hurling large hunks of roof into the air. The debris rained down on the titans, one large piece denting the T-Car's roof before coming to rest near Beast Boy, and a couple letters from the store's name, "Fun Land" were stopped by Raven before they could crush her and Cyborg.  
  
"... a giant toy monster!"  
  
It emerged from the store's new grand opening, rising up and crashing down like wave in a sea of toys.  
  
"Uh... Teen Titans, Gaaah!" before Cyborg could finish the monstrous pile collided with him and rolled away like a gushing river.  
  
Raven tossed the letters at the mass of toys, first an 'F' then the 'U.'  
  
It collected and rose up again, Cyborg sticking out about half way up. He aimed his sonic cannon and fired, blasting a small hole in the creature and sending chunks of Furbies and G.I. Joes flying.  
  
"I think I can take it," said Cyborg between shots, "Raven, take Beast Boy and get that remote!"  
  
A jagged maw formed near the top of the mountain of toys. The monster smashed into itself, engulfing Cyborg.  
  
"Come on," Raven grabbed the green changeling who was still cowering behind the T-Car.  
  
They entered "Fun Land" or what was left of it. The monster had knocked down the front wall and a large portion of the ceiling, the racks that used to hold toys were knocked over or destroyed, and garbage from the toy wrappers littered everywhere. Only the section that held the toys Control Freak was swooning over was in one piece.  
  
"All right Control Freak, hand over the controller." Beast Boy commanded, feeling better away from that monster.  
  
"I don't think so," Control Freak aimed his remote sideways, not even looking up from his new collectables. A model of the ship from Warp Trek hummed and flew at the two titans. The obsessed villain laughed "Set phasers to fry!"  
  
The ship dived down near Beast Boy and a red stream of energy discharged from it, blasting the green boy and sending him flying across the room.  
  
Outside Cyborg was thrown into the driver side door of the T-Car, causing another massive dent. Cyborg raised his sonic cannon and fired again before the mass of toys rammed into him again. The half robot titan was knocked through the car and out of the passenger side window. Cyborg struggled to his feet. The toys seemed trapped; they all tried to go through the car at once but were caught in the bottle necks. The strange pile reared back lifting the T-Car into the air. This would probably be his only chance, Cyborg had to take it. He aimed his sonic cannon at the gas tank and fired. "Booya."  
  
The explosion took out the T-Car, the strange monster, and the metal hero.  
  
-  
  
Starfire stirred in Robin's arms. Her sobbing stopped and her hands around her face went limp, however she did not wake up. Robin tried a few more times before giving up again. He used his cape to wipe away the tears and mucus that had collected on her face and hands. Maybe it was over... maybe now she just needs some rest...  
  
"Cyborg!" she cried, sending Robin leaping backwards in surprise. Starfire resumed her silence. Her eyes darted behind closed lids.  
  
"She must be dreaming." Realized Robin... then he heard a voice.  
  
"Starfire, Robin's dead and it's all your fault!" it was Beast Boy... the sound was muffled and seemed to come from below him but it definitely sounded like Beast Boy. "Bastard!" it was his own voice.  
  
"What in Hell?"  
  
-  
  
Beast Boy turned into a falcon. He swooped through out the store, trying to cloak himself in the shadows, but the Warp Trek space ship never lost sight or the green bird of prey.  
  
"So Raven, just you and me." Control Freak stood up. His figures, still in original wrapping, were secured in his backpack. "To be honest I'm a big fan," he pulled out a spool of duct tape, "so I'm almost sorry to do this."  
  
"Whatever," Raven spotted a toppled rack and started to lift it with her powers. "Azarath..."  
  
Control Freak tossed the tape into the air and took control of it. Tape peeled off the spool and wrapped around the half demon girl's face. She hadn't even gotten to the second word.  
  
"Mmmph!" Raven protested.  
  
"Well, time to go!" Control Freak turned to leave when Raven clocked him in the face.  
  
"Ow!" the stout villain fell over, his remote sailing across the room.  
  
"You hit me! I can't believe you hit me!"  
  
Seeing his opportunity, Beast Boy flew over the remote control and squashed it as an elephant. The spaceship bounced off him futilely before falling to the ground.  
  
-  
  
Robin left Starfire in her bed and went down stairs. 'What the hell is going on?' he thought again. As he descended the staircase and the voices got louder he couldn't stop thinking about his own recent dreams. They always had to do with one thing: Slade. Slade hurting the other titans, or even worse... Robin hurting the other titans for Slade... and enjoying it.  
  
-  
  
After restraining Control Freak with the remaining duct tape, Beast Boy and Raven exited the store. Broken toys and debris from the building and the T- Car were scattered everywhere.  
  
"Where's Cyborg?" Beast Boy looked around... finally they spotted a glint of blue sticking out a pile of charred toys. "There!"  
  
The two titans cleared away the toys and woke Cyborg.  
  
He sat up quickly, knocking Beast Boy over.  
  
"Starfire," he said, looking a puzzled. "I saw Starfire!"  
  
"Huh?" Beast Boy asked while getting to his feet.  
  
"Well, I saw two Starfires, one that was dead and another that was new... she wasn't part of the dream before."  
  
"What are you talking about?" questioned Raven, annoyed that the fact that Cyborg having another dream was making it hard to deny anything strange was going on.  
  
"Look, I saw Sarfire all right? She told me something!"  
  
-  
  
Back in Titan's Tower the basement door slid open. Red light illuminated the large room.  
  
"And that was?" asked Raven  
  
"The basement." Cyborg said.  
  
Robin stepped through the door and his eyes grew wide. The door slid shut behind him.  
  
"She told me to never go into the basement..."


	4. Someone's Home

Author's note: wait... the Titans live on an island... how do they drive the T-Car anywhere?  
  
-  
  
"Right," Raven started to walk over to one of the larger piles of T-Car, "Starfire is afraid of the basement, she told you that before." Raven was still skeptical. The simplest answer is normally correct, she told herself. She and Cyborg and seen how Starfire reacts to that room, Cyborg just remembered it. That was all. "It was just something random from your subconscious."  
  
"I saw her Raven, it was _different_ this time..." said Cyborg.  
  
"Your nonsense dreams have nothing to do with Starfire in reality."  
  
"Are you kidding Rae?" Beast Boy asked the hooded girl, "maybe you didn't get a good look at her but something strange is going on with Starfire. Cyborg gets knocked out and sees two Starfires, one of 'em just gave us a big clue as to what's going on!"  
  
"Nothing is going on. Starfire will be fine and your dreams will go away. A few coincidences happen and you go searching for the most bizarre reasons for them. It is a rediculus notion that Starfire could really contact Cyborg while he's sleeping!"  
  
"You can't honestly deny that these are more then flukes, I think there's more to it then that." Beast Boy cracked a smile, "I know what this is about, what _have_ you been dreaming about anyway?"  
  
Raven stared into the changeling's eyes. No... she couldn't tell him...  
  
Mercifully, the Jump City Police finally arrived. Cyborg got the attention of the armored cop marked #1 and jerked a thumb to the massive hole at the front of the store. Number One nodded, he wasn't even surprised to see the destruction. He knew the drill.  
  
"So..." Cyborg said, "any of you guys hungry?"  
  
They had spent that morning searching for Starfire, now it was almost three. A stomach growled.  
  
-  
  
Minutes later Beast Boy, Raven and Cyborg arrived at a hotdog stand. Cyborg opted to buy while Beast Boy and Raven sat down at a nearby table.  
  
"I'll have a polish dog with onions and ketchup, a tofu dog with extra relish and uh..." he looked behind him to Raven who stared forward with a disinterested frown, "a regular hotdog, plain."  
  
"I think we should check on Robin, maybe Starfire's feeling better."  
  
Raven shifted her gaze to the green boy alongside her.  
  
Her look reminded Beast Boy of the little discussion Raven and Robin had that morning. He raised a hand to the back of his head and smiled. "Uh... I mean,_ I_ should check up on Robin."  
  
Beast Boy pulled out his communicator. "Hey Robin, how's it going?" A few moments passed and he got no response. "Robin, you there?" he pushed the buttons on his communicator again, "Robin?" he looked up from the communicator to where Raven was sitting, but she was already moving.  
  
Beast Boy changed into a pterodactyl and took to the air.  
  
"Here you go, Cyborg." The hotdog vendor handed over the three dogs, happy to meet a local celebrity.  
  
Cyborg turned to tell the other Titans that he'd gotten the food, but they were gone.  
  
Beast Boy caught him by surprise, grabbing him with his claws while he swooped by.  
  
The three dogs went with them but slipped from Cyborg's fingers. He swiped a metal hand through the mass of spinning food, he managed to catch one. "All right!" Cyborg ate it. **"Blech!"** he spat it out immediately. Tofu dog. After a moment to compose himself, Cyborg looked at Beast Boy and asked, "Why the heck are we leaving so soon anyway?"  
  
Beast Boy struggled to gain more altitude and keep up with Raven. She was heading for Titan's Tower at full speed, something rather difficult for a pterodactyl with a load as heavy as Cyborg. "Robin's in trouble."  
  
-  
  
The massive doors on the ground floor of Titan's Tower slid open. As they entered their home the three Titans knew something was wrong. Furniture was knocked over and the lights were out. "Robin? Robin!" they called a few times, but they got no answer.  
  
"Looks like we'll have to take the stairs," said Cyborg, his flicking of the light switch resulting in nothing. If the lights were out so was the elevator.  
  
Beast Boy yawned. "Yeah, well as soon as we find Robin and check on Starfire I'm _sooo_ going to bed." Like the rest of them, Beast Boy was getting awfully tired.  
  
Light from the afternoon sun still illuminated the stairway. On the left the stairs lead to the tower's main room, bedrooms, training rooms and various other rooms that took up the ten stories of their T shaped tower. On the right the stairs lead to the basement.  
  
"It's time to settle this mess." Raven headed down stairs.  
  
"Maybe we should look for-"  
  
"No, I'm not doing anything with you guys until I disprove this idiocy. We're going in the basement and we're going to find nothing, because that's what's down there.  
  
Raven quickly stepped down the stairs. Reluctantly Beast Boy and Cyborg followed her. She soon arrived in front of the basement door. She paused for a moment before the other two Titans rounded the corner and joined her. Sunlight didn't reach down here, and it wasn't going to get any lighter past that door. The door swiftly slid to one side as Raven pushed it with her powers. Cyborg's shoulder lamp flipped up and turned on. The light probed the room while the three Titans still stood before open passage.  
  
Nothing looked out of the ordinary. Raven stepped inside then started to walk down the metal stairway that lead to the floor of the basement. Cyborg went in next with Beast Boy practically hanging off his back.  
  
"Nothing's different." Raven told them from the bottom of the stairs. "Now do you believe me?"  
  
Beast Boy remained silent, Raven had made her point.  
  
"Well that's different, seems to be the cause of the power failure." Cyborg aimed his light at the fuse box. It had been torn out of the wall. "Someone was in the tower..." he said.  
  
"and maybe he still is!" added Beast Boy.  
  
The three Titans scrambled out of the basement and up the stairs, if someone was in the tower then Starfire could be in grave danger.  
  
-  
  
Beast Boy and Cyborg stood over Starfire's bed. Raven still lurked in the shadows of the windowless corridor.  
  
Starfire was in the same condition she had been in when they left but at least who ever was in the tower hadn't harmed her.  
  
"Ok..." Beast Boy sighed, "then where's Robin?"  
  
In the corridor something moved in the darkness. It reached for an access panel and quickly turned a lever. Behind Beast Boy and Cyborg, Starfire's door slammed shut. The two Titans ran for the sealed passage.  
  
Beyond the door someone cried out and the instantly recognizable sounds of a brawl sounded through. "Someone's attacking Raven!" shouted Cyborg.  
  
Beast Boy tried to pull open the door. "It's not working!"  
  
Cyborg checked his scanners. "Someone hit the manual override, back up."  
  
The half metal Titan slammed his fist into the door, sending it flying into the opposite wall. Light from his shoulder lamp started to fill in the action.  
  
Down the corridor a dark figure had Raven pinned on her back; he battered her again and again with his fists. Raven unsuccessfully tried to defend herself, settling for tearing something off her attacker's tunic. When the light got close to them the figure turned to face Cyborg before getting off Raven and retreating deeper into the corridor.  
  
The Beast Boy got to her first. "Raven..." he said quietly while touching her lightly; unsure if anything more would add to her pain. Raven was differently hurt, the most evident of her injuries being a laceration on the right side her forehead. Blood already flowed down her face. She looked into Beast Boy's eyes; she was frightened, if only for a moment.  
  
Raven reached up for Beast Boy, pushed him aside, and sat up. "I'm fine." Her face hardened... she was already back to normal.  
  
"Who was it Rae?" asked Cyborg, standing over the two of his teammates, "who attacked you?"  
  
Raven tossed something metallic into the shoulder lamp's pool of light. It was round and curved. On it there was an emblem, one large letter.  
  
**"R"**


	5. The Brutal Doorway

Author's note: I hope you like this chapter; I won't be able to update 'Nightmares of Titan's Tower' again until the 15th of this month :(  
  
-  
  
The Sun had set over jump city. Past Starfire's window Jump City was a sea of burning lights.  
  
"What are we doing?" Beast Boy sat with his back to Starfire's bed. The other two Titans faced the dented door as they reattached it to the doorway. Raven held the door in place with her powers while Cyborg welded the door to the metal doorframe with his finger torch. The room was lit sporadically as Cyborg worked.  
  
"We're sealing this door," Cyborg reminded the green boy. "...and making sure _he_ doesn't get in." Raven added. She hadn't said much about Robin, but since the attack none of them had said much of anything.  
  
"No," Beast Boy stood up, "I mean what are doing after that? We can't stay in Starfire's room forever."  
  
"I can take us in and out," Raven said, still holding up the door, "this is just to keep Starfire safe wile we get Robin and try to figure out what's wrong." She could no longer deny something strange was going on.  
  
"Does it look like we can stop him to you?"  
  
Raven turned to Beast Boy, her eyes blazing white under her hood. "We have to try."  
  
"And end up like him? Or Star?" Beast Boy was getting frantic, "No way, I say take Starfire and get as far away from the tower as possible."  
  
"Beast Boy, stop it." Cyborg said, not turning from his work.  
  
"Or worse, maybe just falling asleep here will do it! Maybe all we need to do is-"  
  
"I said SHUT UP!" Cyborg stopped welding, the door was as sturdy was it was going to get. Beast Boy shut up and sat down. "Like it or not BB, we need your help on this. We can't just run away and we don't have time to sit in a corner worrying ourselves to death. Not if we want to save them."  
  
The glow in Raven's eyes faded. She pulled back her hood and sat down by Beast Boy. Raven had healed her cuts but dried blood still lingered at the side of her face and stained the dark cloth around her neck. "Falling asleep wouldn't do it. We were all sleeping when it happened to Star."  
  
"Then what's causing it?" Beast Boy asked softly.  
  
Raven looked from the crying Starfire to Cyborg. "Maybe something... in the basement."  
  
-  
  
Raven, Cyborg and Beast Boy entered the main room of Titan's Tower. Like she said, Raven was able to get the other Titan's past the sealed door. A half moon in the sky did little to light the main room, despite the large bay windows.  
  
"We didn't see anything in the basement before," Cyborg said, heading for a computer terminal at the head of the room, "but there might be something down there that we can't see."  
  
A side panel opened in Cyborg's side and he pulled out a small power cell. "This should be able to power the computer," he said while placing the cell in a side port of the terminal.  
  
The cell was able to power the workstation and the wide screen television. It turned on displaying what Cyborg had on the terminal. It was a rendering of all the rooms of Titan's Tower and a few of the adjoining underground facilities. "The scanners are definitely picking up something in the basement." Cyborg said while typing in more commands, "I think it is in infrared, I can shift the display so that-"  
  
"Whoa." Raven saw it on the view screen now. A round sphere of energy shimmered and pulsed, taking up most of the basement.  
  
"'Nothing different', huh?" ask Beast Boy "Maybe when this is over we should get you some glasses."  
  
The other Titans ignored Beast Boy and continued to look at the monitor. Two long tendrils extended form the sphere in the basement to other places in the tower.  
  
"Wait a minute," Beast Boy said, happy to find something important to add, "that one's going to Starfire's room... what ever this thing is, it's formed some kind of link with her."  
  
Raven walked up to the terminal to get a closer look at the display. "If that one's going to Starfire..." she traced the path of the second tendril with her finger, all the way up to the main room.  
  
"YAAH!" Robin kicked Beast Boy in the back sending the green changeling across the room, only stopping as he hit a large window. Instinctively Beast Boy turned into a tiger. An instant later something shot from a blaster on Robin's arm and hit the big cat, sending him through the window and off the tower.  
  
"What the-" Cyborg had barely gotten out of his chair before Robin shot him too. The metal Titan was also knocked out of the room and into the open air.  
  
"Azarath Methrion Zinthos!" The titan's mini fridge slammed against Robin's arm, smashing his blaster and knocking him over. The troubled Titan struggled to his feet and Raven was able to get a better look at him. He wore a black and gold with metal shoulder pads and wrist bands. Since their last fight Robin must have raided the evidence room, he wore the suit Slade and built for him.  
  
"Robin," she said while hovering slightly over the ground, "you aren't going to wake up that easily, are you?"  
  
He charged at Raven and leapt into the air, attempting to deliver a devastating jump kick. Raven shielded herself but the dark wall of energy shattered from the force of the blow. She hovered backwards, dodging Robin's following strikes, but dodging wasn't going to stop him. She tried to hit back, but Robin quickly moved out of the way and grabbed her arm. He threw her across the room.  
  
"Nuugh" grunted Raven as her back collided with the bolted down kitchen table. Robin slowly walked to her, not saying a word. It hurt too much for Raven to stand. She used her powers to throw what ever she could at her advancing leader, the gamestation, some dinner plates. Robin smashed them aside and continued to get closer, a sickening smile creeping across his face. Soon he grabbed her by the throat and lifted her off her feet. She looked past Robin at the broken windows. 'Where is Beast Boy?' she thought, 'Where is Cyborg?' Robin balled his hand into a fist and quickly slammed it into her temple. Raven fell from his grip and sprawled on the table. Robin looked down at her for a moment before toppling backwards and lying still.  
  
A green bird flew in through one of the open windows and turned back into a boy. "Not again!" he said, noticing the fight was over before he could help "Wha..?" he added, noticing that both Robin and Raven seemed to be out cold.  
  
A metal hand that had been gripping to the carpet just past the other broken window supported Cyborg as his grapple arm reeled him higher. Once he got inside he had a similar reaction, though it was a lot more colorful.  
  
"_Don't you get it Raven?_"said Beast Boy "_I love you_."  
  
Cyborg shot him a puzzled sideways glance. Beast Boy was even more confused. "Dude! It wasn't me!"  
  
-  
  
'That fool' thought Raven, looking up from her book, Teenage Angst and You. 'What the hell is he talking about?'  
  
"Come on Raven," Beast Boy said, tears seemingly instants away from his eyes, "I know part of you finds me funny, part of you thinks I'm cool, part of you cares about me and deep down part of you loves me, too."  
  
Raven couldn't deny it. She had feelings for the silly green boy, feelings that she didn't have with the other members of the Titans. As long as she was unsure of his position she was able to suppress them, able to control them, but now they tore through her in a flood of emotion.  
  
Raven sat there in stunned silence, Beast Boy got closer to her on the couch and wrapped a caring arm around her. He smiled, surprised this had been so easy, then was blasted off the couch by a bolt of dark energy. Raven had not meant to do it, but her powers were driven by emotion. The more she felt the more damage she would cause.  
  
"NO!" cried Raven, trying to get control of her feelings, but she couldn't stop them. The rolled and flowed out of her all at once. Love for Beast Boy, hate for Beast Boy, fear for his safety and deep sorrow for the damage she was doing. Raven was forced to watch as her powers pummel Beast Boy again and again, feeling everything at once, her powers completely out of control... just like she had the night before...  
  
'The night before...' thought Raven, the terrible nightmare still playing out around her, 'this is just like the night before. This isn't real...' but it hurt as if it were real. Everything that wasn't bolted down was swirling throughout the room. Beast Boy was being choked by a dark tentacle and a kitchen knife was working its way up his body. "This isn't real! _THIS ISN'T REAL!_"  
  
"Raven!" Someone called out. It was Robin. This was different from the other dream.  
  
She fell to the ground, her powers and emotions were slowly put under control.  
  
"What sort of horrible dream is this?" Starfire asked at Robin's side.  
  
"Robin, Starfire..." Raven said as she walked away from Beast Boy's mangled corpse, "we have to talk." 


	6. A Long Sleep

(Author's note: after finishing this chapter I spilled soda all over my old keyboard. Good luck?)  
  
"So uh..." Beast Boy said, watching Raven's chest rise and fall as she slept on the table at the rear of the main room, "do we wake her?"  
  
"Not yet." Cyborg was binding Robin's arms and legs with metal wire, "Remember how I saw Starfire when I was asleep? I've got a feeling that the same thing's happening to Raven. Meanwhile we should monitor that thing in the basement."  
  
"Speaking about that thing..." Beast Boy looked across the room at the giant display screen. A fleshy pink blob quivered on the monitor. Parts of it seemed missing, red light emanated from gaps in it, but those were slowly closing. The monster was slowly becoming whole.  
  
-  
  
"Please tell me you know what's going on around here." Raven asked the pair who just arrived in her dream.  
  
"We have not determined how," Starfire told Raven, "but a creature in the basement is the source of our dreams."  
  
"It seems to feed off of our nightmares..." added Robin, unsure if Raven would believe him.  
  
"That explains the dreams... but what happened to you and Starfire? And what does it get from our dreams?"  
  
Starfire looked away from Raven at the lifeless Beast Boy. She absently touched her face.  
  
"I think that is to provide a constant supply." Robin had watched in horror everything he had done since he'd walked into the basement, including his fights with Raven, he avoided her eyes. "We think it's using something from our dreams to manifest itself physically. First it could make sound, now it is becoming solid. If it becomes real who knows what it could do."  
  
"So then how are we supposed to st-"  
  
"EEEK!" Starfire pointed at Beast Boy's body. A fleshy tentacle wrapped around his neck and began to pull it to the stairwell.  
  
"Titans, move!"  
  
The three Titans sprinted after the body; it twisted and contorted as it was pulled, leaving a long trail of blood.  
  
They entered the stairwell. The meaty limb already had Beast Boy two floors down. The body flailed around at each turn of the stairway, colliding with the walls and leaving red stains all along the way.  
  
Raven could barely contain her feelings of remorse. 'That isn't really him', she had to tell herself.  
  
"Hurry," ordered Robin, "we have to stop it before it becomes real!"  
  
Starfire and Raven flew down the stairs as Robin agilely leapt from stair to stair. Raven found an opportunity to grab Beast Boy as they reached the ground floor. She wrapped a dark tendril around his leg, pulling his body taut as the monster's tentacle pulled on his neck.  
  
Starfire cried out as she blasted at the fleshy limb with her starbolts. One of them connected and severed it just above Beast Boy's head. From below them something squealed in pain. An instant later two more tentacles shot up from the floor below, one grabbing on to the body and the other whacking the two girls aside.  
  
Robin reached the bottom of the stairs. Beast Boy's body was being pulled through a hole in the floor. He dived for it but he was too late, the body was pulled under and after he landed the slick blood sent Robin skidding away.  
  
They couldn't stop it. Through the hole they could see Beast Boy's body being enveloped into the creature. The lit gaps sealed, the creature stirred.  
  
"NO!" cried Starfire putting her hands over her face.  
  
"Starfire what-" Raven was cut off as her alien friend started to wail in pain. Behind her hands her face erupted in flames and she toppled over.  
  
"RRRAH!" Raven turned away from Starfire in time to see Robin's bloodied boot before it connected with her skull.  
  
-  
  
"That thing's alive in there; we've got to stop it!" Cyborg readied his sonic cannon. Behind the basement door the creature was slamming into walls and crashing limbs against the room's supports, the loud noises occasionally accompanied by a piercing squeal.  
  
Beast Boy sighed, he knew they didn't stand a chance. The other Titans were still sleeping; even Raven wouldn't wake despite their many tries to wake her. There was no way they could defeat the massive monster, but if it got to the other Titans... or lose in the city...  
  
There was no other choice. "Another giant monster... why does this keep happening to me?" he asked before joining the other Titan in size as a gorilla. He grunted in agreement. As if on cue, the creature chose that moment to slam into the basement door. The metal door bent and groaned until finally it blew open, knocking the two Titans over. It was quickly followed by a massive meaty monster.  
  
-  
  
"Raven, wake up!" The words were much too loud. Raven opened her eyes and the green light nearby was much too bright. She had a splitting headache that seemed to hurt worse every time someone talked. "Come on Raven," Robin pulled her up by the arm and she moved so that her legs hung over the table, "there you go."  
  
It must have been a few hours since Robin's second fight with her but outside the sky was still dark.  
  
Starfire smiled, her raised right arm illuminating the room. She had knocked down her door and cut Robin's restraints before the both of them woke Raven. "It is good to see you." Starfire noticed the dried blood at the side of her friend's face. "You are... injured?"  
  
"I'm fine." Raven lied.  
  
The television on the other side of the room still displayed a video feed from the basement. The room was empty, dents and craters littered the walls and the doorway was missing.  
  
"Where's Beast Boy and Cyborg?" asked the half demon girl.  
  
Robin and Starfire exchanged glances then shrugged.  
  
Moments later they entered the corridor just outside the basement. There had been a struggle here, the door lay bent and broken far away from where it had previously stood and several wall panels were missing. Worst of all the three Titans had another trail of blood to follow, it lead down the corridor that would bring them to the T-Sub bay.  
  
Raven felt a chill spread across her body... the other Titans kept their distance as she hovered quickly down the corridor.  
  
The blood became wide in its placement, as if tracks left by a giant's feet. A few meters down the passage Starfire's green light brought a torn garment into view. Raven lifted it up. It was the shredded remains of Beast Boy's costume, it was covered in the same blood that stained the floor.  
  
Raven dropped the piece of clothing and her body quivered. Starfire supported her as she threw up on the floor, Raven hadn't eaten for a while and bitter bile mixed with the blood that still lead down the corridor.  
  
A door slid open and several arms grabbed the Three Titans and pulled them into a closet.  
  
A shoulder lamp flipped on and a boy in green boxers smiled, "You ok Raven?"  
  
"Beast Boy! Cyborg! You are alive!" Starfire still held on to Raven, who was facing a corner and dry heaving.  
  
"But the blood trail..." asked Robin. Cyborg raised his right arm, it was covered in blood. "I was able to wound it before we decided to hide," He said, "but now that you guys are here we've got a chance, its time we find that thing-"  
  
"and take it down!" their leader grinned.  
  
Raven wiped a hand across her mouth and looked at Beast Boy, "did you have to get your clothes ripped off?"  
  
"Hey, you think I like this look?" Beast Boy was flustered, even now Raven couldn't go a few minutes without a snide comment. "Uh..." he looked down at his almost completely naked body, "could I borrow your cloak?"  
  
"Not a chance."  
  
-  
  
The door to the large sub bay was also knocked in, the Titans entered and with Cyborg and Starfire's combined lights were able to make out the strange creature turn from the T-Sub across the room and face them. It squealed.  
  
"You should have stuck to the dreams," Robin called out, "but you're in our world now, and that is a big mistake!"  
  
With out hesitation monster shot dozens of fleshy tentacles at them.  
  
"Teen Titans, GO!"  
  
After dodging the initial attack the titans scattered and closed with the monster. Robin pulled out his bow staff and deflected the pink limbs as they came, Starfire flew over head tossing starbolts and shots from her eyes, Cyborg was getting in close to punch it again, Raven threw pressured oxygen bottles while avoiding attack, and finally Beast Boy grabbed a hold of a large hunk of the monster as a Tyrannosaurus Rex.  
  
A meaty limb wrapped around Starfire and slammed her into the green dinosaur. The oxygen bottles were averted and collided with Cyborg. One of them bent and popped, shrapnel digging into his metal chest and some finding the side of the round monster. It screamed again, worse then scraping teeth against a chalkboard, and lunged against Raven. Both girls were raised high before their attacker's tight grip was broken by Robin's birderang. Robin was close enough to strike, he leapt into the air and cracked down on the monster with his bow staff. A cut-short tentacle swiped across his chest and broke the collapsible weapon in half. Robin looked at the two pieces, strangely inspired. "This thing seems rather single minded, lets see how it fairs when it's beside itself!" Robin snarled as he grabbed a hold of part of the monster and pulled back with all his strength. On his side Starfire did the same while Cyborg and the green T-Rex followed on the other.  
  
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" dark energy flew from Raven, making a dark, flat blade. It sliced into the monster between the four other titans and cut deep. The Titans pulled, blood streaming from the massive wound. Soon the creature was ripped in half; the parts fell aside, the creature was quite dead.  
  
The Titans stood there for a moment, breathing heavily. A few, especially Starfire, were stunned at the destruction they were forced to commit.  
  
Beast Boy turned back into his human form, "And I thought Iron Chef was bad, cleaning this up is going to be the worst nightmare of all."  
  
The other Titans walked away from Beast Boy and the felled creature... they could clean it later... now it was time for some sleep.  
  
-  
  
Raven sat on her bed. Her head still hurt, and even though it was over the questions still bothered her. Why did this thing go after the Titans? What really was it? How can we know it is gone forever? Was someone else behind it?  
  
She shed her bloodstained clothes and got into bed. Answers, if they would ever come, would have to wait. She lie in bed for a while but soon, like the other Titans, enjoyed a long, dreamless, sleep.

---  
I loved writing this story. I may make a sequel or work on something completely new. Thank you for reading Nightmares of Titan Tower! Please feel free to write a review... hehe.


	7. Apologies Friends

Apologies Friends...

I have decided to scrap chapters 7 and 8. I didn't like the way things where going. However, I have written the start of a new sequel to Nightmares of Titans Tower (see Nightmares of Titans Tower part two in my story list)

Sorry for the inconvenience... I promise to update regularly as fit punishment for my crimes nn


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